Paul Hoffman Quotations

In its best prewar year, Europe with almost 300 million people had a gross national product of 150 billion dollars. In that same year, the United States with 150 million people had a gross national product of 300 billion dollars.

I would like to say that no man ever was given finer cooperation than that given me by President Truman.

But I felt that most of us in the world today gave priority to our personal interests.

However, from the very beginning of the program, we made it perfectly clear that we would be out of Europe in four years; that whatever was to be accomplished had to be accomplished in that period of time.

At the time it seriously troubled me, but in drafting me as Marshall Plan Administrator, President Truman did as great a favor for me as one man can do for another. It opened my eyes to many things of which I was totally unaware and it was the beginning of my real education.

We should wage war not to win war, but to win peace.

The full potential of labor can be utilized only if there is mobility in labor.

As far as we were concerned, we were operators, we were administrators. I don't ever recall going to Dean Acheson and asking for any counsel or advice on administration, but I had the greatest respect for him, as I have today.

We have appreciated David's efforts over the past two years. He has made a decision to move on to a new opportunity, and we wish him success in his new venture.

The basic principle (of the management agenda) is there are certain business practices that could be applied to government to help improve efficiency, accountability and service to citizens. That's what I'll be doing ...(It's) about making government run more efficiently.